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This Combinations challenge was right up my alley, because I've got plenty of fresh herbs growing in the kitchen. For this recipe I used basil, rosemary, chives, and oregano, as well as fresh cherry tomatoes and jalapeño peppers from the outside garden. And what did I choose to make?
A French bread pizza.
Now, you may scoff as you remember this dish from its frozen dinner incarnation, or perhaps as a dried-out brick of grease from the school cafeteria. Fear not! While it definitely falls into the realm of comfort food, I'd like to think that the way I make a French bread pizza elevates the meal to delicious heights. I start out with half a loaf of good French bread from the bakery. You want to go softer rather than hard here, though if it's too soft you can crisp it up in the oven before adding the toppings.
I dug out the half loaf a bit, and then added leftover spaghetti sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped basil and oregano and chives, thinly-sliced jalapeño peppers, halved cherry tomatoes (yellow and red), a healthy sprinkling of goat cheese, and a few sprigs of rosemary. I topped it with some kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and tossed it in a hot oven until it just began to brown on top. Finally, I finished it off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
This tastes great, though since I've often got all of the raw ingredients readily at hand, this has been a frequent midnight snack in the past month or so...
As for the wine, I initially wanted to go with a Viognier. When I think herbs, I think of that grape. However, with a really powerful tasting meal like this, I didn't want to confuse any herbal notes, and instead wanted a milder wine with some fruity elements to help bring out the tomato flavors. Thus I popped open a bottle of the 2005 Georges Dubuf Beaujolais-Villages. I've heard good things about this vintage, and felt like giving it a whirl. The wine has some of the slight banana aroma you've come to expect from this producer, but it's got a good wild strawberry flavor to it, as well as surprisingly firm tannins for a Gamay. It went well with the pizza. The pizza had lots of earthy and herbal flavors, yet the wine provided a light and refreshing counterpoint. And serving it slightly chilled didn't hurt either.
I know a lot of people look down at a "pizza wine", associating it with cheap plonk drunk out of plastic cups by college students, but a good pizza with the right wine can be a lovely combination indeed.


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I was very interested in Rob's answer where he lists different options for displaying a hierarchical list of 'nodes'
I was thinking that this component would be a good way for our users to manage their sites in a CMS style application.
e.g. Everything has a relationship with each other.
Everything revolves around creating multiple maps.
A map can then have multiple queries, reports, layouts, tools tied to it.
There is a many to many relationship with everything, and at the moment we allow them to configure everything via stepping through wizards.
We were discussing alternate approaches for displaying these relationships, and I was struggling to explain how a network component could be used in our scenario. The only crude example I could think of was MS Access relationship diagrams:
I am looking for an answer that has:
- Some examples of network components
- Correct term for this type of component (i.e. is Network Component correct?)
- Any information on how and when (subjective, but just best practise advice) they should be used.

subset: commoncrawl


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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio teenager wounded in a school shooting last year says he thinks it's disrespectful to victims of the February massacre in Parkland, Florida, to use that tragedy to further a particular political agenda.
West Liberty-Salem High School student Logan Cole said in a Facebook video he won't participate in the Wednesday student walkouts promoted by organizers of the Women's March.
He argues that they're oversimplifying the problem of school violence by advocating more gun control as the solution.
"I feel like violence in our schools and in our society is a much deeper issue, and I feel like it's a little bit simplistic to look at this and point out gun control as the problem," he said.
Cole said it's better to honor the Parkland victims in a nonpolitical way. He is inviting classmates to join him in doing that through a midday Wednesday memorial service at his school.
He said the gathering will include readings of the names of the 17 victims from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and moments of silence. Similar actions are planned with many of the coordinated school walkouts scheduled around the country on Wednesday, the one-month anniversary of the Florida shooting.
Cole calls his own survival a "miracle" after being shot twice with a shotgun at close range in January 2017 at a bathroom in his school near West Liberty, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) northwest of Columbus. Cole was critically hurt, and another student was slightly injured.
The teen suspect in the shooting has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges including attempted murder.


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~by Brenda**
Q: Why do Mormons wear special Mormon underwear (called temple garments)?
A: To Remember.
Have you ever put a penny in your shoe to help you remember something? I have. Unlike a ribbon around my finger, where everyone asked me what I was trying to remember, the penny served to remind me, and only me, of something important. Every once in a while during the day the penny would shift to someplace in my shoe where I would feel it and remember the task that needed completing. My pennies would help me to remember to return a library book, to repay a debt, or to call a friend. When I wrote reminders on my hand they always washed off, when I used a string it would break. My penny was a dependable and invisible way to help me remember.
Wearing my garments serves a similar purpose. They help me remember.
First of all, they remind me of my commitment to Jesus Christ. At baptism I promised to always remember Him. When I wear my undergarment I'm reminded of the covenants I made at baptism and in the temple to remember Jesus Christ.
They also remind me of the things I learn in the temple like who I am, where I came from, what the purpose of life is, and where I go when I die.
When I do laundry and separate my whites from the bright, flashy colors of my daughters' clothes and my husband's filthy construction uniforms I am reminded that I can separate myself from prevalent attitudes that an individual's worth is based on beauty or wealth, and can remember that despite living in a world where there is filth around me, I can be pure.
When I pour the soap and bleach into my washing machine I remember that Jesus Christ can wash away my sins, even though they be as scarlet, He can make me clean if I repent.
When I fold my garments and put them away into my drawers I am reminded that I need to be prepared. Jesus will come again to earth and I must always be ready to meet my God, whether it be at my death or at His coming, preparation is always necessary.
Like many Mormons, I can get uncomfortable when people ask me about my garments. I see them as sacred symbols of my personal commitment to Christ — not my church's, not my family's. They represent my individual choice to love, serve, and worship Jesus Christ as my Savior. I want my actions to reveal me as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Like the penny in my shoe, my garments serve to remind me, and only me, of my commitment to follow Him.
– – –
To read more about Mormon temple garments, see the following article:
The Temple Garment: "An Outward Expression of an Inward Commitment"
– – – – – – –
**Please note: The answers in "Ask a Mormon Woman" and (other content on this site) reflect the thoughts, experiences, and perspectives of individual LDS women and administrators at Mormon Women: Who We Are. Although we strive to have our content consistent with the doctrine and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we do not speak officially for the Church. You can read official information about Mormon beliefs at mormon.org's What We Believe or at www.lds.org.
For more Ask a Mormon Woman questions/answers, please click here.
Do you have a question you would like us to address? Simply include a comment below, or send an email at gmail with the username 'mormonwoman' or 'mormonwomen' Please be sure to include a valid email address so we can let you know if and when your question will be posted on the site.


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Yes, it's citrus season but it's also chocolate season. Am I right? I have two tasty chocolate recipes coming up for you starting out with these jewels, Homemade Brownies. When it comes to brownies, I'll be honest, there are no bad brownies but I do believe there are better brownies and after this recipe I think there most definitely is a best brownie. I found this recipe from Ruth Reichl on Guilt Taste. As she describes, 'when you replace ordinary ingredients with spectacular ones, you end up with something that is rich, deeply chocolate and lingers in your memory like a wonderful dream.'
For as long as I can remember I have loved brownies. Maybe it was all the Texas chocolate sheet cake (basically a brownie) or just the gatherings of girl friends over the years that almost always included a plate full of dense chocolate brownies. I can remember making them on my own for the first time with a girl friend and overloading the box mix with all kinds of chocolate candy (much like Parent Trap). And I can remember making them for a group of cheerleaders in college, where the plate remained untouched
(a unfathomable happening).
After trying many recipes over the years, I think I've finally met my match. These brownies are taller with a deep fudge-like interior
and a crackling meringue-like top that crunches when you take a bite! I know I'll be making them for years to come, maybe my kids will be making it for their kids (…it's that good). This may even turn into your house brownie recipe as well!
Best Homemade Brownie Recipe
- 2/3 cup unsalted high-fat butter (European-style), 5 ounces
- 5 ounces unsweetened excellent chocolate, measure by weight
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons best-quality vanilla extract
- 4 farm fresh organic eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup all-purpose white flour, sifted
- To prepare the pan, butter a 9x9 square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the bottom again and lightly dust the pan with chocolate or cocoa powder.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Melt the chocolate and the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Beat the eggs and salt in a stand mixer. Add the sugar and beat on high for about 10 minutes, until the mixture has turned quite white. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs, beating on low until just mixed.
- Gently stir in the flour until it just disappears.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, place in the middle of the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes; the brownies will be quite fudgy and a toothpick should come out not quite clean. Cool on a rack.
- Invert the pan, remove the parchment paper and invert again onto a cutting surface. Cut into squares.


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FIPSE's four international programs represent a first-of-a-kind collaboration among the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education and foreign government agencies to fund and coordinate federal education grant programs. For the period 1995-2004, the EU-U.S. Program, North American Program, and U.S.-Brazil Program have involved over 1,400 institutions in Europe, North America, and Brazil. Through funding from FIPSE and its foreign government counterparts, these programs, from 2001 through 2004, helped over 3,500 students study in their disciplines and professions in another country, often in a foreign language. Over 9,000 non-mobile students have been impacted by the changes to the curricula at their home institutions that have come about through collaboration among the participating institutions.
- Spotlight on FIPSE International Programs PDF (1.18MB) | MS Word (1.56MB)
- About the FIPSE International Initiatives
- Program for North American Mobility In Higher Education
- EU-U.S. Atlantis Program
- United States-Russia Program
- U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program
- International Opportunities in the Comprehensive Program
- Program Reports and Evaluation


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Slayer Guitarist Kerry King Stars In New Jagermeister Commercial [Video]
Slayer guitarist Kerry King sits at the head of the "man table" in a new Jagermeister spot, proving he is also a "Slayer" of the deer-labeled liquor.
Slayer have played several Jagermeister sponsored gigs, and now King appears as a figurehead for the spirit in their latest commercial — 'A Seat at the Table.' In the minute-long ad, a man — who may or may not be a Juggalo — endures a quest to an isolated castle where he must prove himself worthy to drink from the "goblet of Jager," so to speak.
The face-painted protagonist eventually reaches a table populated by "uncommon men" — which includes King, world champion bullfighter Rob Smets, NFL Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson, World Champion Boxing Trainer Freddie Roach, NASCAR Pit Crew Chief Mike Lingerfelt, Famed Street and Tattoo Artist Mister Cartoon and Big Wave Surfer Nathan Fletcher — proving he is worthy of partaking in the consumption of a "strong drink for strong men." The clip also features footage of Slayer rocking out.
Slayer are currently without guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who is still recovering from a nasty bout with Necrosis. They recently announced that they will continue touring with Exodus guitarist Gary Holt until their ailing member is ready to return. There are also plans for the thrash metal kings to enter the studio to record their 12th album at some point this year.


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Microsoft sends word that it is now looking for those responsible for the Rustock spam botnet, which it took down in March.
In March 2011, Microsoft took down the massive Rustock spam botnet, but taking (and keeping) it down wasn't the end of the story for Microsoft. Investigators with Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit are determined to identify and find the person or persons behind Rustock and as of last week they are one step closer to zeroing in on one of the perpetrators.
Evidence has led Microsoft to Russia, where the company published advertisements in two major Russian newspapers in an effort to notify one of the alleged defendants of the takedown and when and where they are being summoned to attend a hearing in the case.
Tracking botherders, who are experts at anonymity, has proven incredibly difficult, Microsoft is serious about making every effort to locate the people behind Rustock, wherever the evidence leads them.
For more information on why Microsoft believes one of the defendants has a Russian connection, check out this blog post by Richard Boscovich


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I'm shocked — shocked! — that Colonel Denise Lind, the military judge who ruled in February that Bradley Manning could be tried on various charges even after being held prior to arraignment for more than five times the absolute longest time specified in the US Armed Forces' "speedy trial" rules, has now also ruled that Manning can be convicted of aiding an enemy that does not exist.
Yes, you read that right: There's only an "enemy" to aid, in any legal sense, if the United States is at war, a state created by a congressional declaration. There's been no such declaration since World War II.
Lind had only one legal duty as judge in this case: To dismiss all charges due to the government's failure to meet the "speedy trial" deadline. If the United States was, as John Adams put it, "a government of laws, not of men," that's exactly what she would have done.
Lind's superiors had a clear duty as well — to remove her from the bench after that first illegal ruling and charge her under Article 98 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice:
"Any person subject to this chapter who —
"(1) is responsible for unnecessary delay in the disposition of any case of a person accused of an offense under this chapter; or
"(2) Knowingly and intentionally fails to enforce or comply with any provision of this chapter regulating the proceedings before, during, or after trial of an accused; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct."
No, I'm not really shocked that none of this happened. It's par for the course. Laws, including the "supreme law of the land," aka the US Constitution, are for us little people. The US government doesn't need or want them, except for use as camouflage. It does whatever it wants to do (or rather whatever the ruling members of the American political class tell it to do).
The only reasonable takeaway from the Manning trial is that American "rule of law" is a sham. The US government doesn't operate within the Constitution's constraints on state power, nor does it honor that Constitution's list of enshrined individual rights. It never has done so absent extreme compulsion and it never will do so on anything like a regular basis.
The corollary: If the US government isn't bound by its own alleged rules, why on Earth would anyone else be?
Thomas L. Knapp is Senior News Analyst at the Center for a Stateless Society (c4ss.org).


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Henry James Weaver's World War I Medals (Obverse) |
won the British War Medal (left) and the Victory Medal (right)
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Having drummed for the likes of Steely Dan, Sting, John Mayer and James Taylor; Keith Carlock is a bonafide drum master. Currently in the UK with jazz supergroup Rudder, our stick-wielding friends at Rhythm have bagged Keith for an interview and they're giving you the chance to ask the questions…
What to do now
Get involved! Submit your questions like this:
Via MusicRadar (log in and leave a comment on Rhythm's page)
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Me in my studio: Mihalis Safras
Greek DJ/producer Mihalis Safras has a long history in the electronic music scene of Greece, becoming one of his home country's most celebrated DJs.
Over the course of the last decade he has tirelessly established himself as one of the most promising and hard working artists, appearing on at least a dozen 12-inches last year alone. The calibre of Mihalis's studio output uniquely fall's in-between these two and since his early studio outputs, his elongated, aching yet versatile and percussive tech-house tracks have made their way onto the celebrated labels of Great Stuff, Soma, Trapez, Saved and off course Material Series.
While having remixed a variety of well known artists like: Dubfire, Mark Broom, Gregor Tresher, Mihalis has exercised room-filling soundscapes, determined and driving techno combined with the most moving of musical melodies. Having recently completed his latest artist album 5 Years Of Material Mihalis guides us through his studio.
Sacred sticker
"Not much to say about this crazy Amplified sticker! We see that every day we enter the room so when I face at it I know that it is time to make some good music!
"It has its own history as whenever I make as good track we say I am amplified!"
The studio
"OK, besides the old vintage record tape in the small corner, here we have the iMac connected to the console that is use for sampling.
"The good old A&H 16 is so useful for importing so called stolen synths from my precious 'arpeggiator' on the left."
"Some racks were borrowed from my old flatmate and are still in there. haha!"
Main room
"And here we are in the main room using the Classic MPC2000 for kicks and snares, the ZED8 which is connected to the main card and Shure mics on the right.
"But, most amazingly no Apple Mac here! Strange huh!? Yes I do not produce with Apple computer. Only when I'm sampling!"
Mobile studio
"And this is with what I produced the remix I did for Dubfire when I was in hospital. Very useful when I travel. So I think that it is part of my mobile studio. Do not underestimate it."
Allen & Heath mixer
"A replacement of the ZED10FX is because the new ZED has the internal effectors that makes it so easy when you record a vocal. No need use VST on vocals with the 10FX."
Korg Kaoss Pad
"Next to the ZED and below the monitor speakers I have the KaosPad2.
"I must say that I rarely use it in production since the ZED provides all those FXs. But while playing or performing a live set it is very useful. A must buy for me."
Genelec monitors
"Genelec 8020A monitors and in my opinion one of the best.
"I've just replaced my old Yamaha passive monitors so in the next few months we will have some results. Actually I know lots of producers that are using the same Genelec – two-way passive speakers. Really small but so cool!"


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I had a pretty good time at the Festival of Iowa Beers today. As always, the buzz and bustle was around the homebrewers' tent. There were a wide range of beers on tap there: imperial this that and the other, a few sours, and several real ales served on a beer engine. The pros had a few interesting taps, but predictably most were pouring their usual fare.
There was plenty of gossip and news to be had, lots about brewery openings. The owners of Jasper Winery are apparently occupying the old Maytag factory in Newton with their new brewery. That'll be running a copper 15 barrel two-vessel brewhouse. I also heard about a new startup that's currently courting investors – they call themselves Grass Roots Brewing.
Hub City up in Stanley is finishing the preparations on their new addition, featuring a 30 barrel brewing system. They will apparently be running double batches into 60 barrel (!) fermenters. That's a huge increase in capacity, but apparently their distributors are working hard to keep that beer on the shelves. Hub City will also be releasing two small batch series: one of seasonals and one of high-gravity specials available only outside the state (thank you Iowa ABD!). More about those nearer to their year-end release.
I was able to try two of the beers B.J. from Hub City is developing. The first was the Russian Imperial Stout, the initial release in the out-of-state series. It was deep mahogany brown, lightly hazy, with a yellowed ring of head and a malty aroma. The taste is roasty with coffee and burnt toast. Thick and chewy, with a complex yet delicate flavor.
Hub City Russian Imperial Stout
3.7 (4-6-8-4-15)
I also had a taste of a steam beer B.J. has been working on for the seasonal schedule. It has a light fruity nose, a pale yellow color, and almost no head. The flavor is a little sweet with a prominent yeast roughness and fruity hop character.
Hub City Steam Beer
3.1 (2-6-7-3-13)
From the Burlington Makers of Beer (MOB) I had the cask-conditioned Mildly Interesting ale, an English-style mild. This is a near clear gamboge color with some frothy tan head. The nose is lightly malty and yeasty. It has a cider and caramel flavor, with just a bit of pomegranate.
The Ames Brewers League was one of many to bring an imperial stout aged on wood. Theirs is a Whiskey Barrel Russian Imperial Stout. It's near black, with hints of brown and a ring of yellowed head. A sweet nose greets you initially, with prominent whiskey and rye. Thick and sweet, the flavor is toasty with a bit of roast and a strong alcohol spike. The sweetness and an astringency linger.
I had the Gruit beer from Cenosilicaphobia Brewers (a homebrew club out of Pella, Iowa). This one was labeled "NO HOPS", and in red lettering "SOUR". It is a hazy orange yellow with no head. The nose is lightly citric and a bit tart. The flavor is a clean lactic sour, with orange, grapefruit, and raspberry. There is just a bit of pale malt flavor. It is refreshingly tart, but not too intense.
Old Man River Brewery in McGregor, Iowa, is now bottling under the name Einfach Beer ("simple beer"). I tried both of the beers they brought to the festival (they forgot the Dunkel at home). The Oktoberfest is rich with malt flavor: toast, caramel, and bread. It is amber, almost clear, with a light malt nose. Sweet and smooth, decently authentic.
Einfach Oktoberfest
3.0 (3-5-7-3-12)
The Helles is a clear straw with generous and creamy white head. The nose is light with corn, somewhat metallic, and a little toasty. The flavor is sulfury corn with a bit of sweetness. Actually remarkably authentic.
Einfach Helles
2.8 (4-5-6-2-11)
Powder Keggers is a women's beer appreciation group in Des Moines, but they were able to muster up a few selections of homebrew to bring to the festival. (ed. note: this was meant to read "they're a beer appreciation group, but they brought homebrew anyway" rather than "they're a women's group, but they could still figure out how to bring beer") I tried their Lady Nessa's Grand Cru. It was a very clear pale amber color with a little white head. The nose was malty with notes of grassy hops. The flavor is malty, with an alcohol tinge and a balancing sweetness. Some earthy hops come through. The body is thick but not cloying.
From the Raccoon River Brewers I tried an Oktoberfest. This one highlighted the difficulties brewing a good festbier. It was an opal amber with some off-white head. A lightly sweet, toast and corn nose led into a flavor of cotton candy and some bread. Sweet and cloying.
From down in Fort Madison the crew at Lost Duck Brewing Company brought a few interesting beers. The one I tried was the Duck ala Orange, an orange-infused lager. This one is light on flavor with an orange character that borders on synthetic. Very sweet, it's a beer for those who appreciate Leinie's Sunset Wheat. The redeeming quality is the bitter orange peel that comes through if you look for it.
Lost Duck Duck ala Orange
2.6 (2-4-7-3-10)
From the MUGZ homebrew club I tried Little Brown Winkie. It claimed to be aged on sour cherries. Lightly hazy and reddish brown, the Winkie has some tan head. The nose is strong with pie cherries, I'd say montmorency. There is also just a bit of gym sock. It has a strong sharp pie cherry flavor with some malt. An astringency and sweetness linger.
Well, as usual I don't think I was there long enough and I don't think I had enough variety. But all in all it was a pretty good festival.
Oh yeah, and I took a look around the new brewhouse at Millstream. It's coming along…


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Blue/ orange legionnaire's hat
Product details
Made from Recycled Fabric | UPF 50+ Sun Protection
Our legionnaire's hats protect their scalps and necks both in and out of the water. Top tip: wear goggles over the hat to keep in place when swimming under water. Available in S (3-5y) and M (6-8y). Made from our signature UPF 50+ soft recycled fabric. Matching items available!
Material and care
78% polyamide (recycled). 22% elastane (Lycra Xtra Life TM).
The plastic peak insert may become misshapen when this product is washed and may need to be reshaped whilst damp.
Machine wash at 40 degrees. No bleach. Do not tumble dry. Iron maximum 110 degrees. Dry clean (perchloroethylene).
Delivery and returns
We offer free UK standard delivery and free UK returns. UK standard delivery takes 3-4 days from you placing your order. You may also select express UK delivery, or Europe or worldwide shipping. If you wish to cancel, return or exchange your order, please let us know within 21 days of receipt and return items in a fully resaleable condition. More information can be found on the Delivery, Returns & Recycling page.


text:
NAIROBI, March 31, 2016—Kenya's economy is projected to grow at 5.9% in 2016, recording an improvement over the 5.6% estimated for 2015, says a new World Bank Group economic report released today. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to improve further to 6% in 2017.
The Kenya Economic Update (KEU): Kazi ni Kazi: Informality Should Not Be Normal attributes the positive outlook to low oil prices, good agriculture performance, supportive monetary policy, and ongoing infrastructure investments. Kenya experienced strong economic performance in 2015, and has exceeded the average growth for Sub Saharan Africa countries consistently since 2009, the report adds.
The KEU reviews Kenya's economic performance in the context of three global factors which have been discussed for some time, and are now in full force. These include: industrialized countries' monetary policy adjustment; the end of the commodity price boom, and the rebalancing of Chinese economy. The report says that the interaction between these global factors with domestic policy and conditions will determine Kenya's growth in the near term.
"The prevailing global conditions call for a more vigilant policy stance which is supportive of growth," said Diarietou Gaye, World Bank Country Director for Kenya
According to the report, Kenya's economy remains vulnerable to domestic risks that could moderate the growth prospects. These include: first, the possibility that investors could defer investment decisions until after the elections; second, that election related expenditure could result to a cut back in infrastructure spending, and third, security remains a threat, not just in Kenya but globally. Finally, changes in monetary policy in industrialized countries could trigger volatility in financial markets putting the currency under pressure.
The KEU, whose special focus is on jobs notes that Kenya is creating more jobs now, but mainly in the informal sector. In the next ten years, nine million youth will enter the labor market, a majority will continue to find jobs in the informal sector, the report adds.
"Kenya is not short of jobs; it is short of high productivity jobs," said Jane Kiringai, the Bank's Senior Country Economist for Kenya and the lead author of the report. "To increase productivity of jobs in the informal sector, policy interventions could be geared towards increasing access to broad skills beyond formal education, creating linkages between formal and informal firms, and helping small scale firms enter local and global value chains."
To create more and better jobs, it is also imperative to reduce the cost of doing business which is necessary for a robust private sector, the report adds.


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Although Marya experienced strong signs of manic behavior at age four it wasn't until age 24 that she was finally diagnosed with the most severe type of bipolar disorder. Marya takes you through her "crazy" life up until her diagnosis. The tales of her episodes are surreal but the stories of how she copes with them are even more so. She stabilizes her moods with massive amounts of alcohol (starting at age 10) and other drugs. She distracts herself from her mania by focusing on food obsessions (anorexia and bulimia) as well as "cutting".
Madness was very insightful, clearing up some of the stereotypes of mental illness and being institutionalized (nothing like Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). This was a fascinating and fairly fluid book considering the disorganized nature of the topic. Marya Hornbacher is also the author of the best selling novel Wasted chronicling her struggle with anorexia and bulimia.


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Amplivox's Wireless Patriot Lectern has the power you need to deliver sound to large audiences, without sacrificing style and quality workmanship. This lectern comes with a 50-watt stereo amplifier that produces enough sound for up to 2,500 people or a 20,000 square foot room. The solid natural oak lectern has a fabric-colored top in your choice of black, blue or red, plus handsome leather handrails. Several layers of clear lacquer enhance the beautiful woodgrain and offer protection from scratches. The amplifier features a built-in, 16-channel UHF wireless receiver for hassle-free operation. Includes an electret gooseneck microphone that adjusts to fit each presenter, wireless transmitter and your choice of wireless microphone. The spacious flat reading surface is large enough for your laptop and notes and can be adjusted at an angle. Four concealed casters allow you to move the lectern anywhere in your auditorium or facilities. Made in the USA. Powered by an AC adapter/recharger, NiCad battery pack or 10 Alkaline D-Cell batteries (all sold separately). The Amplivox Wireless Patriot Lectern is also available in natural cherry, mahogany and walnut to match your decor.
Key Features
- 50-watt amplifier delivers sound to audiences up to 2,500 individuals or room up to 20,000 square feet
- Includes electret gooseneck microphone and your choice of wireless microphone
- Features built-in 16-channel UHF wireless receiver
- Solid natural oak hardwood with clear lacquer coating
- Store equipment on the two open shelves
- Concealed casters make it easy to move
- Additional colors and options available for an extra charge
- Material: Solid natural oak hardwood
- Power: 50 watts
- Audience Size: 2,500 individuals
- Casters: 4 casters (2 locking)
- Width: 32"
- Depth: 30"
- Height: 46"
- Warranty: Limited lifetime
- Made in the USA
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Estimated Lead Time: Ships within 4 - 6 weeks
- Shipping Method: Freight
- Weight: 325.00 pounds


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The Qur'ân, Rodwell edition [1876]; at sacred-texts.com
MECCA.--45 Verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
PRAISE be to God, Maker of the Heavens and of the Earth! Who employeth the ANGELS as envoys, with pairs of wings, two, three, and four: He addeth to his creature what He will! Truly God hath power for all things.
The mercy which God layeth open for man, no one can keep back; and what He shall keep back, none can afterwards send forth. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.
O men! bear in mind the favour of God towards you. Is there a creator other than God, who nourisheth you with the gifts of heaven and earth? There is no God but He! How then are ye turned aside from Him?
If they treat thee as an impostor, then before thee have apostles been treated as impostors. But to God shall all things return.
O men! assuredly the promise of God is true: let not then the present life deceive you: and let not the Deceiver deceive you as to God.
Yes, Satan is your foe. For a foe then hold him. He calleth his followers to him that they may become inmates of the flame.
The unbelievers,--for them a terrible punishment!
But believers and doers of good works, for them is mercy, and a great reward!
Shall he, the evil of whose deeds are so tricked out to him that he deemeth them good, be treated like him who seeth things aright? Verily God misleadeth whom He will, and guideth whom He will. Spend not thy soul in sighs for them: God knoweth their doings.
It is God who sendeth forth the winds which raise the clouds aloft: then drive we them on to some land dead from drought, 1 and give life thereby to the earth after its death. So shall be the resurrection.
If any one desireth greatness, all greatness is in God. The good word riseth up to Him, and the righteous deed will He exalt. But a severe punishment awaiteth the plotters of evil things; and the plots of such will He render vain.
Moreover, God created you of dust--then of the germs of life--then made you two sexes: and no female conceiveth or bringeth forth without his knowledge; and the aged ageth not, nor is aught minished from man's age, but in accordance with the Book. An easy thing truly is this to God.
Nor are the two seas 2 alike: the one fresh, sweet, pleasant for drink, and the other salt, bitter; yet from both ye eat fresh fish, and take forth for you ornaments to wear, and thou seest the ships cleaving their waters that ye may go in quest of his bounties, and that ye may be thankful.
He causeth the night to enter in upon the day, and the day to enter in upon the night; and He hath given laws to the sun and to the moon, so that each journeyeth to its appointed goal: This is God your Lord: All power is His: But the gods whom ye call on beside Him have no power over the husk of a date stone!
If ye cry to them they will not hear your cry; and if they heard they would not answer you, and in the day of resurrection they will disown your joining them with God: and none can instruct thee like Him who is informed of all.
O men! ye are but paupers in need of God; but God is the Rich, the Praiseworthy!
If He please, He could sweep you away, and bring forth a new creation!
Nor will this be hard for God.
And the burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another: and if the heavy laden soul cry out for its burden to be carried, yet shall not aught of it be carried, even by the near of kin! Thou shalt warn those who fear their Lord in secret, and observe prayer. And whoever shall keep himself pure, he purifieth himself to his own behoof: for unto God shall be the final gathering.
And the blind and the seeing are not alike; neither darkness and light; nor the shade and the hot wind;
Nor are the living and the dead the same thing! God indeed shall make whom He will to hearken, but thou shalt not make those who are in their graves to hearken; for only with warning art thou charged.
Verily we have sent thee with the truth; a bearer of good tidings and a warner; nor hath there been a people unvisited by its warner.
And if they treat thee as a liar, so did those who were before them threat their Apostles who came to them with the proofs of their mission, and with the Scriptures and with the enlightening Book: 3
Then chastised I the unbelievers: and how great was my vengeance!
Seest thou not how that God sendeth down water from the Heaven, and that by it we cause the up-growth of fruits of varied hues, and that on the mountains 4 are tracks of varied hues, white and red, and others are of a raven black? And of men and reptiles and animals, various likewise are the hues. Such only of his servants as are possessed of knowledge fear God. Lo! God is Mighty, Gracious!
Verily they who recite the Book of God, and observe prayer, and give alms in public and in private from what we have bestowed upon them, may hope for a merchandise that shall not perish:
God will certainly pay them their due wages, and of his bounty increase them: for He is Gracious, Grateful.
And that which we have revealed to thee of the Book is the very Truth, confirmatory of previous Scriptures: for God knoweth and beholdeth his servants.
Moreover, we have made the Book an heritage to those of our servants whom we have chosen. Some of them injure themselves by evil deeds; others keep the midway between good and evil; and others, by the permission of God, outstrip in goodness; this is the great merit!
Into the gardens of Eden shall they enter: with bracelets of gold and pearl shall they be decked therein, and therein shall their raiment be of silk:
And they shall say, "Praise be to God who hath put away sorrow from us. Verily our Lord is Gracious, Grateful,
Who of His bounty hath placed us in a manison that shall abide for ever: therein no toil shall reach us, and therein no weariness shall touch us."
But for infidels is the fire of Hell; to die shall never be decreed them, nor shall aught of its torment be made light to them. Thus reward we every infidel!
And therein shall they cry aloud, "Take us hence, O our Lord! righteousness will we work, and not what we wrought of old."--"Prolonged we not your days that whoever would be warned might be warned therein? And the preacher came to you--
Taste it then."--There is no protector for the unjust.
God truly knoweth the hidden things both of the Heavens and of the Earth: for He knoweth the very secrets of the breast.
He hath appointed you his vicegerents in the earth: And whoever believeth not, on him shall be his unbelief; and their unbelief shall only increase for the unbelievers, hatred at the hands of their Lord:--and their unbelief shall only increase for the unbelievers their own perdition!
SAY: What think ye of the gods whom ye invoke beside God? Shew me what part of the earth they have created? Had they a share in the creation of the Heavens? Have we given them a Book in which they can find proofs that they are to be called on? Nay, the wicked promise one another only deceits.
Verily God holdeth fast the Heavens and the Earth that they pass not away: and if they were passing away none could hold them back but He: for He is Kind, Gracious.
They swore by God with their mightiest oath that should a preacher come to them they would yield to guidance more than any people: but when the preacher came to them it only increased in them their estrangement,
Their haughtiness on earth and their plotting of evil! But the plotting of evil shall only enmesh those who make use of it. 5 Look they then for aught but God's way 6 of dealing with the peoples of old? Thou shalt not find any change in the way of God,--
Yea, thou shalt not find any variableness in the way of God.
Have they never journeyed in the land and seen what hath been the end of those who flourished before them, though mightier in strength than they? God is not to be frustrated by aught in the Heavens or in the Earth; for He is the All-knowing, the All-mighty.
If, moreover, God should chastise men according to their deserts, He would not leave even a reptile on the back of the earth! But to an appointed time doth He respite them.
And when their time shall come, then verily God's eye is on his servants.
1 See note at Sura [xcvii.] iii. 18. This is one of the passages said to have originated with Zayd.
2 Not only seas, properly so called, but the great masses of fresh water in the Nile, Tigris, inland lakes, etc.
3 The Gospel.
4 This idea was probably suggested by Muhammad's reminiscences of the view from the Cave of Hira, to the north and west of which there is a prospect thus described by Burckhardt (Travels, p. 176). "The country before us had a dreary aspect, not a single green spot being visible; barren, black, and grey hills, and white sandy valleys were the only objects in sight."
5 Lit. shall encompass its people.
6 Method of dealing, i.e., first warning, then punishing.


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Actual scenario: Three college students are sitting on a couch. One studies Anthropology, one studies Political Science, and one is in Women's Studies. The Political Scientist slides Peelander-Z's Peelander Is Fun into the DVD player and presses play.
As three Japanese guys in brightly colored superhero outfits dart about on screen, each student sees a different thing. The Anthropologist sees Peelander-Z as a constructed cultural identity all their own, and wonders how their environment has impacted the character development versus the intrinsic nature of the group. The Political Scientist takes note of the incentives that have probably come into play, taking punk rock to new audiences and pushing the boundaries vis-Ã -vis the mainstream punk rock public to corner a market left wide open. The Women's Studies major observes the band sweating profusely on stage as they perform their antics and wonders if this causes them to get laid more or less than the average rock musician.
So what do we actually have here? While the opening sequence gives just a few clues to the unsuspecting viewer (Japanese guys in weird outfits loading gear into a van and driving from their NYC apartment to the Northsix in Brooklyn), the performance itself leaves little doubt.
Step one: Start playing a song, generally made up of a handful of words repeated over and over.
Step two: Find a good break in the song, and institute giant placards that clue in the audience to the antics that are either taking place or are about to take place. Said antics may include, but are not limited to, human bowling, girl-on-girl Karate sparring, and a percussion chorus of about 50 audience members invited on stage to bang on pots/pans/cowbells and shout "mad tiger, mad tiger" to a hypnotically catchy rhythm.
Step three: Finish the song by repeating the handful of words yet again.
There isn't enough space in this review to describe the hilarious shenanigans that occur throughout Peelander-Z's performance. There are funny masks, a giant plastic mallet, and even one point where the band cedes their instruments to random audience members while they circulate through the venue wreaking havoc.
Outside the hour-and-a -half feature performance, the DVD is crammed with bonus features, from music videos to silly "Challenger-Z" skits, to insane performances from the Warsaw in Brooklyn (complete with Kaiju Big Battel wrestlers) to the celebrated South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.
As the diverse crowds in each performance can testify, Peelander-Z is more than just punk rock for anime nerds (though there is video of them stirring up trouble at Anime Expo 2006). Anyone with a lust for creative ridiculousness and hilarious absurdity will enjoy Peelander-Z, who have brought an interesting Japanese/American/superhero hybrid to eager audiences, forged their niche putting a totally unique spin on punk rock, and probably gotten laid more than once in the process. Good luck finding a music DVD funnier and more entertaining than this until Peelander-Z releases another one.


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Product description
Up to 65% increase in Flow
Simple Installation:
This system uses factory mounting locations providing stability and hassle-free installation. No cutting required.
OE Fit:
OE-style bayonet hangers are used to maintain a stable pipe location during high vibration and high heat conditions. The bayonet tip holds the hanger bushing in place for an OE-style fit that does not change with time.
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This LARGE BORE HD exhaust system is constructed of 5" mandrel-bent stainless steel tubing for maximum flow. Smooth transition bends allow for low turbulence, increasing horsepower, torque and lowering EGT's.
6" Diameter Black Intercooled Tip:
Finishing off the exhaust is a 6" diameter, black, stainless steel slash cut tip with intercooling vents designed to reduce exhaust gas temperatures at the tailpipe. A unique stainless steel laser-cut aFe Power logo plate is riveted on for an aggressive style.
This system fits Crew Cab/Standard Bed (151.6" Wheelbase/6-6 ft. bed)


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One of my biggest concerns when traveling is making sure that my expensive camera gear is well protected from harm. In the hustle and bustle of packing, rushing to the airport and flying to our eventual destination, a lot can happen to our photography equipment, even when it remains in our possession. There is nothing worse than embarking on that trip of a lifetime only to find your camera isn't working when you arrive.
A good camera bag not only helps prevent accidental damage to our gear but also keeps us well organized too. Carrying extra lenses, memory cards, external flashes and other photography equipment can be a bulky and cumbersome affair, but a good bag can lighten the load and make it easy to find all of those important items when you need them. A well-organized photographer is less likely to miss the important shots and do a better job of capturing the moment.
New camera bags from Acme Made offer travelers the protection and organization they need in stylish and distinctive packages. Their Montgomery Street line of packs have a retro look with modern sensibilities that allow them to stand out in the crowd without sacrificing function for form. Here's a look at three of these bags that were designed with the traveling photographer in mind.
Montgomery Street Backpack ($99.99)
The largest entry into the Montgomery Street line-up is the Backpack, a versatile bag with plenty of room for just about everything you'll want to take with you when traveling. Designed for carrying a DSLR or the increasingly popular compact system cameras (CSC), this pack offers well-padded compartments and pockets for camera bodies, lenses and more. A dedicated laptop sleeve is perfect for carrying a 13-inch MacBook, ultrabook or tablet, while organizational pockets hold travel essentials such as a smartphone, passport and other important items.
Putting this bag to the test in the field left me very impressed with its overall quality. It is built with fabrics designed to resist the wear and tear that comes along with travel, while still managing to provide ample protection for all of the important gear inside. Magnetic snaps and high-quality zippers seal up pockets and compartments nicely, while Acme's FlexFold System allows users to adjust and expand the interior to their needs. When not in use, the Backpack also folds down to a compact size, making it easy to store and transport. The Backpack is capable of carrying a CSC camera and two extra lenses or one DSLR and a single additional lens. That makes it a perfect choice for most travelers but could be a bit too confining for those with more photography gear. This won't be a problem for most, however, and when you add in the ability to carry a laptop or tablet – as well as all the cables, batteries and chargers you'll need for the road – you end up with a pack that performs above and beyond expectations.
Those who like to travel light and are looking for a stylish, compact bag will absolutely love the Montgomery Street Backpack. It provides ample storage space for plenty of gear and its versatile nature ensures that it can accompany us on many different travel adventures.
Montgomery Street Courier ($79.99)
Acme Made's Montgomery Street Courier shares much in common with the larger Backpack. There is a distinct look about it that quickly identifies both bags as being part of the same line and their feature sets are very similar. The Courier is capable of carrying mostly the same load as its larger counterpart, offering room for a compact camera system body and two extra lenses or a DSLR and one additional lens. It also offers organizational pockets for travel documents, a smartphone and other items that you'll want to keep close at hand. This bag even includes the FlexFold System, which makes it a breeze to expand the interior to hold more items when necessary.
But the Courier is designed to be a smaller camera bag than the Backpack and as such, some compromises had to be made. The biggest difference is that the Courier doesn't have enough space for a laptop. It does include a quilted sleeve with enough room for a tablet such as an iPad, but travelers using this bag will need to leave their laptops at home.
The other main difference between the two bags is that the Courier is a sling pack designed to be worn over the shoulder. This adds a level of accessibility that isn't found in a backpack, as it is easy to grab a camera, lens or new memory card without ever taking the bag off. This makes it a very convenient option for travelers, who often need to access their photography equipment and other gear on a moment's notice.
The Courier is made from the same high-quality materials as the Backpack and features the same zippers and magnetic snaps as well. For all intents and purposes, it resembles the larger bag in every way, just in a scaled-down fashion and with a shoulder sling. This makes it a great, yet uncompromising, alternative.
Montgomery Street Kit Bag ($59.99)
For the ultimate in compact camera packs, the Montgomery Street Kit Bag is the way to go. While it doesn't look exactly like the Backpack or Courier, the family resemblance is still undeniable. Like those other bags, the Kit Bag is made of tough, durable fabrics that are designed to weather the challenges of travel and stay attractive and stylish for years to come. The interior is lined with quilted fabrics to protect its contents and the twin zippers that run along the stop are smooth and easy to operate.
This small camera bag is especially useful for CSC cameras, providing space for a body and two lenses. It'll also hold a DSLR body and a single lens as well, although larger zoom lenses may be a bit cramped. Exterior pockets can accommodate a smartphone and passport, although unsurprisingly there isn't much room for anything else.
Although the Kit Bag does come with a shoulder strap, I found this pack worked best inside another bag. It is perfect for storing camera equipment when checking luggage or for safe storage inside a larger backpack. It is the perfect option for those who don't carry a lot of camera gear with them when they travel, but still want a bag to keep things safe and organized.
All three of these camera bags are excellent choices for travelers looking to take their precious camera gear with them on the road. They are all affordable, extremely well made and provide plenty of versatility. Serious photographers will want one of each as part of their gear options but all three are individually outstanding as well. Each fits its own niche and you can't go wrong with any of the bags in the Montgomery Street lineup.
[Photo Credit: Acme Made]


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129 Lincoln St
Worcester, MA 01605
Worcester area cosmetic dentist Frank Voci, D.M.D. has extensive experience creating beautiful smiles. They're one of the first things people notice about you.
Our professional team will be happy to discuss your aesthetic dentistry options. The attractive results you'll get from Lincoln Dental can change your life!
Lincoln Dental is a trusted Worcester area dental implants practice providing natural-looking, comfortable tooth replacement. We make it our mission to use a gentle touch during the process.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards to replace missing teeth and provide you with natural-looking results. Our goal is to restore your confidence and your bright, healthy smile.
Worcester area restorative dentistry at Lincoln Dental can produce natural-looking results. If you have a damaged or missing tooth, we can help.
Our highly skilled team will assess your need for a crown, bridge, implant or other procedure to restore or improve your smile. Our goal is to provide quality dental care for your life-long oral health.
Frank Voci, D.M.D., provides general dentistry for people of all ages. Dental health is important during your entire life. When your teeth are healthy, it follows that you will be healthier, and your quality of life increases. No matter what your age, Lincoln Dental is here to serve your dental needs in the Worcester, Massachusetts area.
Would you like your smile to be a bit brighter than it is right now? We can make it happen at Lincoln Dental, with professional tooth whitening for brighter natural looking teeth. Dr. Frank Voci's Worcester, MA area office can effectively lighten your stained or discolored tooth enamel. Whiter teeth not only look great, they improve your self-confidence.
Norige, Kevin H D.D.S.
112 Deming St
South Windsor, CT, 06074-3763
Kathleen M Burr D.D.S.
469 Buckland Rd Ste 201
South Windsor, CT, 06074-3737
(860) 644-7340
Zborowski, Robert G D.D.S.
1741 Ellington Rd # 4
South Windsor, CT, 06074-2720
Wing, Randall C D.D.S.
1050 Sullivan Ave # A1
South Windsor, CT, 06074-2000


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The things one finds wandering in a landscape: familiar things and utterly unknown, like a flower one has never seen before, or, as Columbus discovered, an inexplicable continent; and then, behind a hill, as if knitted by giant grandmothers, lies this vast rabbit, to make you feel as small as a daisy.
The toilet-paper-pink creature lies on its back: a rabbit-mountain like Gulliver in Lilliput. Happy you feel as you climb up along its ears, almost falling into its cavernous mouth, to the belly-summit and look out over the pink woolen landscape of the rabbitÌs body, a country dropped from the sky; ears and limbs sneaking into the distance; from its side flowing heart, liver and intestines.
Happily in love you step down the decaying corpse, through the wound, now small like a maggot, over woolen kidney and bowel.
Happy you leave like the larva that gets its wings from an innocent carcass at the roadside.
Such is the happiness which made this rabbit.
I love the rabbit the rabbit loves me.
After almost 5 years of knitting the rabbit found its final place in the italian alps (close to Cuneo). It waits there to be visited by you. You might even take your time or check back every now and then as the rabbit will wait for you 20 years from now on.
Hase / Rabbit / Coniglio is situated above the village Artesina in the Italian Alps.
You can go to Artesina by public bus. From there you need to walk up to the Rabbit. It takes about 20-30 minutes.
Google Maps Link to the location: http://goo.gl/maps/cjv4X
Article "Rabbit in the Headlights", by Monte Packham, sleek magazine 11, Berlin, Summer 2006
Article "Big, Dead, Rotting, Silly Rabbit", by Meredith Kahn, The New York Times, November 6, 2005
Article "Incontro Ravvicinato", by Andrea Lissoni, Rolling Stone Magazine, October 2005
Article "Gelatin: Hase", by Cristina Romano, Domus 885, October 2005
Rosa Hase, drawing, 45 x 52 cm, 2000 © Gelitin
Rabbit, 2005 © Gelitin
Rabbit under construction, 2005 © Gelitin
Rabbit in winter, 2006, photo: Paolo Cresta
Rabbit, 2007 © Gelitin
Rabbit, 2008 © Gelitin
Rabbit, 2011 © Gelitin


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Published in the New York Post on December 23, 2010
High taxes kill states. There can be no better evidence than the 2010 Census. The states that lost House seats — because they're shrinking, relative to the nation — had taxes 27 percent higher than the ones that gained seats.
Of the seven states that don't have a personal income tax, four (Texas, Florida, Nevada and Washington) account for eight of the 12 seats apportioned to the fastest-growing states.
New York and Ohio lost two more seats. Other losers — down one each — are Massachusetts, Missouri, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana and Iowa. What do they all have in common? High taxes.
Texas, with the second lowest taxes in the nation, gained four seats, Florida picked up two and Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington state each gained one. All have low taxes.
The states that lost seats ranked an average of 24th in taxes and had an average tax burden of $2,267 per capita (weighted more toward the states that lost more than one seat).
The states that gained seats ranked an average of 39th in taxes and had an average tax burden (weighted) of $1,788 — 27 percent lower than the losing states.
People vote with their feet and flee to low-tax states. It's not the climate; it's the taxes.
In New York, the city grew from 7.3 million in 1990 to 8 million in 2000 to 8.4 million in 2010 — but population upstate shrank dramatically. Some 1.7 million people left New York state in the last decade, the largest exodus any state experienced. Upstate New York is dying, killed by high taxes.
The New York City metro area can grow despite high taxes. It's the historical center for immigration from overseas, a glittering attraction for migration from within the country and the foremost global city. But upstate has no such offsetting attractions.
Consider Buffalo. From half a million people in 1960, it has fallen to a quarter of a million. It's lost half its population in 50 years.
The trend is unmistakable: The "losing" states drove out their high-income citizens (and middle-income jobs) with heavier tax burdens. As New York and other high-tax states confront their budget difficulties, they need to be mindful of this trend — lest they wind up taxing their states into oblivion.


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Dinosaurs might not have been the mighty conquerors that everyone thinks they were.
Instead of overwhelming the world with force, dinosaurs might have instead moved in when no one was looking.
Conventional wisdom suggests that soon after dinosaurs originated in what is now South America, they rapidly invaded every corner of the world, defeating their rivals by virtue of strength to rule for about 160 million years.
Now, however, a new species of dinosaur suggests that instead of overpowering weaker species, dinosaurs came into dominance by taking advantage of a catastrophe that wiped out the competition.
"We used to think of dinosaurs as fierce creatures that out-competed everyone else," said researcher Timothy Rowe, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Texas at Austin. "Now we're starting to see that's not really the case."
The new dinosaur, named Sarahsaurus, was a 14-foot-long, 250-pound (4.2 meters, 113 kilograms) sauropodomorph, a relatively small ancestor of sauropods, the largest animals to ever walk the Earth. The dinosaur lived about 190 million years ago in a setting much like today's Nile Valley, with lush vegetation on either side of a river and barren desert just beyond.
Rowe and his colleagues discovered the creature in Arizona in 1997. Excavating it proved hard, as the site was in the high desert and prone to windstorms. Since the researchers could not reach the site by car, they had to spend days lugging chunks of the rock-encased fossil back to camp.
"It was a rigorous challenge, the kind I love," Rowe told LiveScience.
Ten million years before Sarahsaurus lived, one of the five greatest mass extinctions in Earth's history, the Triassic-Jurassic event, wiped out many potential competitors of dinosaurs. The researchers now reveal that Sarahsaurus and two other early sauropodomorphs migrated to North America in separate waves long after that extinction. At the same time, none migrated there before the extinction.
"They were humbler, more opportunistic creatures," Rowe added of dinosaurs. "They didn't invade the neighborhood. They waited for the residents to leave and when no one was watching, they moved in."
"It's the story of a recovery after a great extinction," Rowe said. "That's what makes it poignant for me - it's a portent of our future. We're undergoing an immense extinction right now, and by examining the fossil record, we could get a good predictor of our future."
Rowe was also intrigued by the new dinosaur's hands.
"Its hand is smaller than my hand, but if you line the base of the thumbs up, this small hand is much more powerfully built than my hand and it has these big claws," he said. "It's a very strange animal. It's doing something with its hands that involved great strength and power."
"They may have been digging up roots or ripping apart rotten logs looking for small creatures," Rowe explained. "These animals are often thought of as herbivores, but I'm not so sure of that."
Sarahsaurus also had physical traits usually associated with gigantic animals. For example, its thigh bones were long and straight like pillars, yet were not much larger than a human's thigh bones.
"Some of the features we thought were tied to gigantism might instead be linked with the forceful way of life," Rowe said. "You could imagine they fastened onto things with their front and rear legs and arched their backs to tear things apart."
The researchers plan on scanning the fossils in greater detail to learn more about how the dinosaurs behaved.
They detailed their findings online Oct. 6 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
- 25 Amazing Ancient Beasts
- Mass Extinction Threat: Earth on Verge of Huge Reset Button?
- Images: Dinosaur Drawings


text: I just got the SoftStep because of the features offered by KeyWorx. This this is for a client who has developed a severe case of carpel tunnel syndrome and has great difficulty using an ordinary keyboard. With supports help, I was able to program most of the users most common actions and thus reducing the strain. SoftStep and KeyWorx fills a void that I have not been able to find anywhere else. Please don't let it die.


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SURREY — The homicide team has been called in to investigate the case of a Surrey woman who's been missing since May 26.
Police say the investigation to date has revealed that San Li Liao, 54, may have been murdered.
Liao's family reported her missing to the Surrey RCMP on May 29 and a missing person's investigation was opened.
Surrey RCMP say investigators conducted extensive ground searches, spoke to multiple people, and conducted area canvassing for video surveillance, but Liao has not been found.
"Police have conducted an extensive investigation to locate Ms. Liao but she remains missing and foul play is suspected in her disappearance," said Corporal Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). "There have been no other cases like Ms. Liao's that have been reported to the police and investigators continue to pursue leads that may answer the many questions remaining."
READ MORE: Still no sign of missing Surrey woman
Liao's vehicle, pictured, was found near Guildford rec centre after her disappearance. (Photo: Police handout) |
Liao was last seen leaving her work place on May 26 in the 14900-block of 54A Avenue.
Police also say Liao's green 2000 Toyota Sienna, BC license plate 731XEJ, was located near Guildford rec centre on May 29.
In a June 7 appeal at the Surrey RCMP detachment, Liao's daughter, Cindy Cheng, described her mom as "the pillar of our family."
"Her safe return would mean the world to our family, because without her, our family will never be complete."
Surrey RCMP Corporal Scotty Schumann said at the time that he could not confirm how many tips had been received, but said investigators remain diligent in the quest to locate Liao and "are following up on anything they believe to be relevant."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Should you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Cover of the book under review [Click on this and following images for larger pictures, and sometimes for commentaries by Philip Allingham. Captions are provided by the author. The sources of the images are given either at the end, or on the linked pages. The book itself is not illustrated.]
Some of the best-known figures in Victorian literature behave in a manner quite at odds with their biological age. In this wide-ranging book, Claudia Nelson explores this intriguing phenomenon. Selecting relevant examples from diverse sources, she analyses their characters and roles, showing how age inversion works in the novel and on us, and how it relates to and reflects upon the life and thought of the time. No one could be more qualified for the task: Nelson is a well-known scholar in the field of childhood in literature, with several of her own writings listed in her "Works Cited," one of them (Boys Will Be Girls, 1991) a seminal work focusing on gender inversion in Victorian children's literature. With such a variety of material, it is not easy for her to pin down the phenomenon, and her categories tend to overlap. But the resultant study is valuable precisely for its crossing of borders, as well as for its many subtle readings, incidental insights, and wider implications.
Nelson's introduction reminds us of the Victorians' fascination with childhood, and the ways in which it was linked with old age in their literature. The introduction also sets out the general observations she plans to examine more closely (an apparent rise in the number of "child-men" during the period, for instance), and provides brief summaries of each chapter — necessary guidance when some of the material is appropriate to more than one of them.
"The Old-Fashioned Child and the Uncanny Double"
In the first of the five main chapters, Nelson looks at those child characters who, for one reason or another, seem preternaturally aged. Starting with one of the most obvious cases, Dickens's Paul Dombey, she takes her cue from Freud's 1919 essay on the "Uncanny," seeing Paul's father as his double, and quoting to good effect the passage in Chapter 8 in which Dickens describes the two sitting by the fire:
They were the strangest pair at such a time that ever firelight shone upon. Mr Dombey so erect and solemn, gazing at the blare; his little image, with an old, old face, peering into the red perspective with the fixed and rapt attention of a sage. Mr Dombey entertaining complicated worldly schemes and plans; the little image entertaining Heaven knows what wild fancies, half-formed thoughts, and wandering speculations. Mr Dombey stiff with starch and arrogance; the little image by inheritance, and in unconscious imitation. The two so very much alike, and yet so monstrously contrasted.
Quoting from Freud's essay on the "The Uncanny," Nelson finds this an example of the "doubling, dividing and interchanging of the self ... the repetition of the same features or character-traits" and so on across generations (16). Such a reading certainly helps to explain Paul's "'monstrous' old-fashionedness," and why he is "sly and goblin-like" as well as sympathetic (17, 18). He represents, says Nelson, "an innocence so imbricated with its own opposite that its possessor cannot live" (!8). Partly contemporary with Dickens, Freud provides her with a better theoretical basis here than, say, the Swiss psychoanalyst Alice Miller, whose ideas inform Gerhard Joseph's similar reading of the father and son's "pathology" (see 182, n.7).
Left to right: (a) Chris in the background as the children prepare their gardening project in Juliana Ewing's Mary's Meadow (illustration by Harley, facing p.41). He holds aloft like a crown the bonnet his older sister Mary has made for their sister's role as "Weeding Woman," but has been wearing herself — it was a role Mary would have relished, but has selflessly renounced. Instead she willl be "Traveller's Joy." (b) Sara Crewe in Francis Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, "a child full of imaginings and whimsical thoughts" (illustration by Ethel Franklin Betts, facing p. 16). (c) Sara with one of her doubles, the beggar girl Anne (illustration by Betts, facing p.168).
As so many critics have noted, such characters were freighted with meaning, and meaning that is absolutely central to the works in which they appear. Nelson finds feminist ideas in much of her material. In stories like Jeanie Hering's Elf (1887), also considered in Chapter 1, these ideas can hardly be missed: the eponymous heroine here emerges successfully from the shadow of her "custodial grandfather" (24) with the help of a female role model, shedding her quaintness in the process. (This summary does no justice to the subtleties of Nelson's reading.) Less obvious though is the feminist thread in another case of an "old-fashioned" child, Lionel Valliscourt in Marie Corelli's best-seller The Mighty Atom (1896). Victim of the secular education provided by his atheistic father, Lionel commits suicide as a way of facing his uncertainities. Here, Nelson links the child convincingly to his "transgressive mother" (31), and finds his death "in one sense a feminist statement, a misguided but understandable response to the real social problem of upper-class male dominance" (32). Age-inverted figures, she shows, can comment on other ideologies as well. Juliana Ewing's children's novella Mary's Meadow (1883-84), in which encephaletic Chris helps "colonise" a disputed meadow with flowers, and win it from the local Squire, can be read, she agrees, as a comment on imperialism — though she points out that it is not at all a straightforward one, and situates anxieties about it in Chris himself. Similar complexity is found in Francis Hodgson Burnett's popular A Little Princess, where the "old-fashioned child" undergoes changes of fortune that bring class and other issues into the picture. In this case, the child is able to rise above them by using her imagination. These opening discussions make it clear that precocity is "a response to adult needs and behaviors rather than an expression of the intrinsic nature of the child in question" (156), and also that the child thus delineated is a vehicle for the authors' concerns about those "needs and behaviours."
"The Arrested Child-Man and Social Threat"
Jenny Wren reproving her alcoholic father in Our Mutual Friend.
The title of Chapter 2 is more dramatic. Subjects again range from the predictable (such as Harold Skimpole in Bleak House, and Jenny Wren's father in Our Mutual Friend) to the unexpected (such as the ruthless pygmy Tonga in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four and even Kurtz in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, found crawling on hands and knees towards the bush by the horrified Marlow). Simple, other-worldly child-men like Dickens's Mr. Dick in David Copperfield might be looked at askance by others in their narratives, but, by and large, Nelson sees them as providing a reproach to corrupt adult society. Primitives like Tonga, on the other hand, pose the "social threat" of this chapter's title. Horror fiction provides the ultimate expression of this. Nelson has already shown in Chapter 1 how often "old-fashioned" child figures have "doubles" of some kind. Bringing these to the fore again, she looks at perhaps the most famous doubles of all, seeing Hyde as the "child-man" hidden in R. L. Stevenson's Dr Jekyll. Finding that such uninhibited, unconstrained figures provoke "a touch of envy" (70), she associates them with the discourse about natural instinct, and the whys, wherefores, and consequences of its frustration in Victorian society. Although sometimes disconcerting, the linking of characters from standard texts, children's stories and popular fiction is also stimulating.
"Women as Girls" and "Girls as Women"
Left to right: (a) The girlish Dora before marriage, paying more attention to her flowers than her suitor, as David Copperfield gazes at her yearningly. (b) Little Nell, a child doomed to bear the burden of her irresponsible grandfather, and to die as a sacrifice to him. (c) Amy Dorrit clinging to her father in Little Dorrit, where again both are age-inverted subjects.
These two chapters (3 and 4), with their complementary discussions, also deal with gender — Nelson's forte. As before, Dickens features more prominently than other canonical authors, with Dora Copperfield leading in the procession of child-women in Chapter 3, and the Infant Phenomenon from Nicholas Nickleby and Little Nell from The Old Curiosity Shop putting in appearances later, the latter very briefly; while Chapter 4 analyses heroines like Esher Summerson in Bleak House and Amy Dorrit in Little Dorrit, adolescents whose circumstances have brought them responsibilities beyond their years. The Brontës and Thackeray put in brief appearances too, with Nelson showing how little Paulina from Villette manages to be simultaneously daughter and wife, and (acutely) how Thackeray manipulates our response to that "precocious daughter" Becky Sharp (122), by undermining the grief she feels after her father's death.
Two illustrations from Diana Mulock's Olive, by the illustrator G. Bowers. Left to right: The eponymous heroine, walking in her favourite meadow, is stooped because of a congenital curvature of the spine, and looks prematurely old. (b) Olive with her future husband Harold, who has just rescued her from a fire. Her touch of deformity now makes her look girlishly petite (Ch. 46), and indeed she will act girlishly with Harold too.
But most examples are again drawn from other sources. One such is Dinah Mulock's eponymous heroine in Olive (1850). A child who has been "less a child than a woman dwarfed into childhood and older than her age" (qtd. 79; Mulock, Ch. 5), but who becomes a diminutive adult who clings girlishly to her beloved Harold, she fits both categories of age inversion. Another eponymous heroine, Rider Haggard's in Ayesha (the sequel to She) has even more aspects, as "a manifestation of the Triple Goddess: mother, maiden and crone in one" (90). All fascinating stuff, especially when examined, as here, in light of Victorian anthropology, sexology (Havelock Ellis) and, in the case of H. G. Wells's Weena in The Time Machine, Darwinism — or, rather, its inverse. One or two of the children's works discussed by Nelson seem to sink under the weight of critical debate, but this is not the case with Wells, and it is good to see him included here.
"Boys as Men"
The Artful Dodger in his oversized men's clothes, as illustrated by James Mahoney (Dickens 30).
Age inversion in female characters has much to do with money, or the lack of it: the poverty-stricken girl must take on family responsibilities, caring for her siblings or even her parents, while her better-off counterpart can afford to depend on the breadwinner, whether father or, later, husband. Returning to men again in Chapter 5, Nelson focuses on financial matters. Her interest here is not on strangely old-fashioned or old-looking children, who could be of either sex, but with boys who act like men, typically if not invariably for gain. As so often, Dickens provides a starting-point, with the top-hatted Artful Dodger and his fellow pickpockets in Oliver Twist, and Bart Smallweed in Bleak House, the latter
a weird changeling to whom years are nothing. He stands precociously possessed of centuries of owlish wisdom. If he ever lay in a cradle, it seems as if he must have lain there in a tail-coat. He has an old, old eye, has Smallweed; and he drinks and smokes in a monkeyish way; and his neck is stiff in his collar; and he is never to be taken in; and he knows all about it, whatever it is. In short, in his bringing up he has been so nursed by Law and Equity that he has become a kind of fossil imp. (Chapter 20)
Then there are what Nelson calls, when summarising the chapter in her introduction, "the heroic or the mock-heroic" (20). Two pairs of contrasting boy-men and men-boys — David Balfour and Alan Breck Stewart in Stevenson's Kidnapped, and the father and son who change places in Thomas Anstey' s ever-popular comic Vice Versa, demonstrate the importance of economic issues, and of readjusting our own values. Pairing can obviously be as effective a technique as doubling, pointing up contrasts and suggesting ways in which a better balance can be achieved in adult life. But alternatives are not always offered. Nelson's last sub-heading in this chapter is "Tragic Precocity at the Turn of the Century," and here, dealing with Hardy's "Little Father Time" in Jude the Obscure amongst others, she finds that as time goes by growing boys are even more radically affected than their sisters by the social norm — in their case, by the pressure to become providers. Young Time famously relieves his family of its economic burden in the only way currently within his power, by hanging his two half-siblings and then himself.
Finally, picking up the idea of readjusting values, Nelson turns the spotlight on the reader in her conclusion — to be precise, on "The Adult Reader as Child." This allows her to press the claims of children's writers to be taken more seriously, by demonstrating that some, like Anstey and (here) Florence Montgomery and George MacDonald, establish a construct of childhood which they invite the adult reader to enter and become "resocialised" through. No one was more influential in this respect than Samuel Smiles, whose immensely successful Self-Help is also considered here, on the grounds that it shrewdly adapted "the techniques of the children's literature of Smiles's youth" in order to influence and empower his readership (170). Again, a perceptive and sometimes surprising (and therefore refreshing) choice of material.
The 1840s, just before the period dealt with here, had produced what Sally Shuttleworth calls "an extraordinary flowering of the literature of child development" (2), and there was extensive cross-fertilisation in this area between the scientists and the creative writers. To use a pair of examples of my own, George Meredith was much influenced by the developmental ideas of Herbert Spencer when writing about the stages of his hero's development in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel in the late 1850s. It must have seemed all the more transgressive now to produce characters who, like that "fossil imp" Bart Smallweed, departed so completely from the norm. But Nelson has clearly succeeded in one of her aims, that of showing that "the idea of age as a construct, something separable from biological condition" (179) was accepted, by writers and readers alike.
It would seem, from many of the figures discussed here, that writers used age inversion primarily as a technique, often to convey criticism of society and urge a change of heart or behaviour, generally but by no means always towards children themselves. Nelson would like us to see it as much more than a ploy, though — as a way of opening windows on conflicts at the very heart of the age, between "respect for history and heritage on the one hand and for innovation, progress, vitality and newness on the other" (180). Age, she believes, joins gender and other major issues of the day as a subject on which the period was multivocal, and she prompts us to pay more attention to the different approaches to it, and the complexities that arise from them. The chief value of her study is probably in its insights into individual texts, which will be of great interest to children's literature specialists and Dickens scholars in particular. But it is well worth considering these larger implications, and Victorianists in general will find the book both richly informative and thought-provoking.
Book under review:
Nelson, Claudia. Precocious Children & Childish Adults: Age Inversion in Victorian Literature. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012. 211pp. ISBN 13: 978-1-4214-0534-6 / ISBN 10: 1-4214-0534-2. £24.70.
Other references and sources of illustrations:
Burnett, Francis Hodgson. A Little Princess, being the whole story of Sara Crewe now told for the very first time (1905). New York: Scribner's, 1917. Internet Archive. Web. 1 September 2012.
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. New York: Harper, 1872. Internet Archive. Web. 1 September 2012.
Ewing, Juliana. Mary's Meadow. Boston: Little, Brown, 1900. Internet Archive. Web. 1 September 2012.
Mulock, Dinah. Olive. New York: Harper, 1872. Project Gutenberg. Web. 1 September 2012.
Shuttleworth, Sally. The Mind of the Child: Child Development in Literature, Science and Medicine, 1840-1900. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Last modified1 September 2012


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Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SIDNEY, Mont. (AP) - The killing of a much-loved high school teacher nearly two years ago has weighed heavily in rural Montana. Hundreds of people helped search for Sherry Arnold and calls for frontier-style justice greeted the arrest of the man accused of killing her.
Today, the fate of 24-year-old Michael Keith Spell rests not with a jury but with experts evaluating whether he should be declared unfit for trial due to mental disability.
Initially, Arnold's disappearance during a pre-dawn jog confirmed residents' fears about crime rising with the oil shale boom sweeping the Northern Plains. The case since has evolved into a referendum on justice for a man said to have the mental capacities of a first grader.
Spell's alleged accomplice, Lester Van Waters Jr., 49, has a much more extensive criminal record. He pleaded guilty in a deal that lets him avoid a potential death sentence if he testifies against Spell.
Attorneys for Spell, of Parachute, Colo., say his intellectual disabilities date back to his elementary school days. If he goes to trial, they say the death sentence sought by prosecutors should be barred by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that forbids executions of the mentally disabled.
It's the first such argument in Montana since the high court's 2002 ruling in Atkins vs. Virginia, and prosecutors are fighting it. They are sending their own team to the state mental hospital to evaluate Spell, accused of randomly abducting and killing Arnold on Jan. 7, 2012.
Waters testified at his change of plea hearing that he and Spell had consumed massive amounts of cocaine as they drove from Colorado looking for work in the oil fields. He said they were looking for a woman to have sex with when they spotted Arnold along the side of a road in the small community of Sidney, a city of 5,000 near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.
Spell grabbed Arnold along an irrigation ditch just blocks from her house, overpowered and killed her, according to court documents filed by prosecutors. The remains of the 43-year-old mother of two were recovered from a shallow grave on March 21, 2012, near Williston, N.D., about 50 miles away.
In Sidney, pain over the death of a woman most refer to as simply "Sherry" is shared community-wide. Her tenure in the local school system stretched across two generations, and former students and their parents said they admired Arnold for her competence and compassion in the classroom.
"Our town is too wounded to be objective," said Tina Turner, a shop owner who searched for Arnold and pasted a missing person poster in the window of her Planet Hair & Spa.
"I've always believed every life is worth something, but when someone takes a life, it changes how you feel about things," she said.
Judge Richard Simonton moved the case from Sidney to Glendive, Mont., about 50 miles away, after the defense pointed to comments in the Sidney Herald that extolled "Old West Justice" and called for the accused to "hang from the nearest tree."
The trial, scheduled to begin Jan. 6, was canceled by Simonton on Wednesday after state officials said they needed until mid-January to evaluate Spell.
Arnold's pastor for the last decade said that like many others in Sidney he's doubtful of the notion that Spell is unable to tell right from wrong and thus should avoid trial.
But in his many hours of conversations with members of Arnold's family, Pastor David Warner of Trinity Lutheran Church said they have gone out of their way to say they're not seeking revenge. He said they realize that "there's no justice for Sherry in this world. There's no making it right."
Arnold's sister, Rhonda Whited-Rupp, said the most important point was that Spell and Van Waters were arrested. "I want to drive over them, but we don't do that," said Whited-Rupp. "Death is not the ultimate goal. Just don't let them out, that's all I'm worried about."
Defense attorney Al Avignone said Spell reads at a first-grade level and since the age of 15 has consistently scored below 75 on IQ tests, a cutoff intelligence level considered a central indicator of mental disability.
In 2012, authorities said Spell tried to lead FBI agents to Arnold's body but failed. Spell is illiterate, and his father has said he has less education than a kindergartner.
Filings by Richland County prosecutors showed that the state wanted its own specialists to evaluate Spell, setting up the potential for dueling experts when the matter comes back to Simonton.
It's a common situation in cases that could fall under the 2002 Atkins ruling, said Kevin McGrew, a visiting professor in educational psychology at the University of Minnesota who has testified in similar cases.
While the Supreme Court banned executions of the mentally disabled, states were allowed to come up with their own criteria for who qualifies.
Whited-Rupp, who cares for Arnold's teenage daughter, said she seeks solace in Christian teachings, and exchanges Bible verses daily with a friend who also lost a family member to murder.
"The best thing those guys (Spell and Waters) could get is a Bible. Then lock them up," she said.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Permit fees cover the Village's costs to review applications and inspect construction. Fees will be applied upon approval of the permit application and must be paid before the permit is issued and work can begin. Bonds are often required to ensure that applicants complete certain aspects of the job and protect public infrastructure.
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The Inspectional Services Division Staff is available to answer all your questions and guide you through the entire permitting process.Please contact the Inspectional Services Division at (630) 823-5860.
Permits are valid for 1 year from the date of issue.
For your convenience, informational pamphlets are available outside the Inspectional Services Division by the front counter as well as on the Inspectional Services Permits website at www.hpil.org. Please note that if your desired project is not included on our list, our staff is available to discuss all your projects.
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Building permits are reviewed and issued through the Inspectional Services Department. For more information, please visit the Building Permits section on our website at hpil.org or call the Inspectional Services Division 630-823-5860.
You should have received a Plat of Survey when you closed on your house, or you can check with your Mortgage Holder to see if they have one. If you still cannot locate it, you can request a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and we can search our records to see if a copy is available. If not, you will need to contact a Land Surveyor to have a plat created.
Construction is allowed Monday thru Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you are near a construction site and they are either working too early or too late, please call 911 and the Police Department will stop at the site and remind the contractors what the hours are.
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During your project, a variety of required inspections may need to occur. Most inspections require 24-hour notice. Call the Inspectional Services Division (630)823-5860. Be ready to provide a contact name, phone number, street address, permit number, and the type of inspection requested. Our inspections are open window in the morning between 9:00-11:30 a.m. and afternoons 1:00-3:30 p.m. Plumbing inspections are scheduled only as morning (8:30 -12:00 a.m.).
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The LGCM welcomes vote in the Church of Scotland
For immediate release
The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement welcomes vote in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the acceptance of ministers in same sex relationships.
On Monday 23 May the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland voted by a majority of 351 to 294 votes for the Kirk to move towards the acceptance of ministers in same sex relationships. It has also welcomed the blessing of same sex relationships involving life-long commitments.
The vote is a significant move towards full equality in the Kirk but there will be a two-year moratorium during which ministers and deacons ordained before 31 May 2009 who are in same-sex relationships may be inducted into pastoral positions.
A commission is to be set up which will report in 2013 before a final decision on the issue of lesbian and gay ordination is taken.
Rev Sharon Ferguson, Chief Executive of LGCM said: "We welcome this significant step forward towards a fully inclusive church and acknowledge the work of One Kirk in this respect. Clearly there is much work still to be done to win over all members of the Kirk but the outcome of Monday's General Assembly debate and vote is encouraging."
The appointment of Reverend Scott Rennie, an openly gay man, to Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen caused much controversy and threatened to split the Church two years ago.
It has been proposed that one in five members of the Kirk have threatened to leave if it is agreed that lesbian and gay people can be ordained. Significantly though, there is also much support for the Kirk's inclusive policies with one in ten saying they would leave if the Kirk ruled against ordination.
For further details please contact Tony Green on 07900 883910
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Anytime we get an email with new work from the Italian duo Sten Lex we post it up, because their outdoor work is so original these days... As someone once said, addition through subtraction.
Watch the video below to get a taste of how they create their murals from this year's Baltimore Open Walls.
Let's get closer.
OPEN WALLS BALTIMORE --- Getting To Know The Neighborhood. --- Interviewees (in order of speaking): JAZ, Tony, JETSONORAMA, Ben Stone, Rebecca Chan --- Also Featuring Murals By: EVER, STEN & LEX, JESSICA UNTERHALTER & KATIE TRUHN, VHILS, MATA RUDA music by: DAN DEACON, RUN DMT --- Special Thanks: GAIA, NANOOK, 15Four, & B'more Family
Sten Lex in Baltimore working on their mural. Love their work.


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Now, the 72-year-old wants to sell his more than 500-piece collection so others can enjoy it.
Sotheby's will auction the collection in New York on April 29 after exhibiting it in Moscow and Jerusalem and offering special presentations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil and several European and US cities.
The collection is estimated to bring approximately $11 million at auction.
"This is an incredibly exciting event in the field of Jewish art. I've been immersed in the world of Jewish material and culture for the last two decades and a collection of this scope and scale and quality has not come on the market in half a century," said Elka Deitsch, senior curator of the Judaica collection and museum at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.
The Judaica material spans thousands of years, from antiquity to modern times, and contains objects from every corner of the globe.
Among the highlights is a Torah from the 15th century with an estimated value of $4.5 million to $6 million.
The manuscript known as the Frankfurt Mishneh Torah has text by the Middle Age Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides. It is the second of a two-volume manuscript featuring six large illustrations plus 32 smaller images and marginal decorations. The first volume is housed in the Vatican.
Steinhardt was out of the country and unavailable for an interview. But he said in a release issued by Sotheby's that he had found it gratifying to share parts of his collection over the years through museum exhibitions.
"Now, at 72, it is time for the collection to be passed onto a new generation, in the hopes that it will encourage them in turn to discover a rich Jewish heritage and the joy of owning a piece of the past," he said.
'Jewels of Jewish culture life'
"What really sets this collection apart is the breadth, the astonishing variety of textiles, of silver, ceremonial art that covers every geographical aspect of the Jewish world and centuries and centuries of Jewish history," said Sharon Liberman Mintz, senior consultant for Judaica at Sotheby's and curator of The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
Among the earliest objects in the auction is a 12th-century North German bronze lion aquamanile, a figural jug used for washing hands. Valued at $200,000 to $400,000, it has a medieval Hebrew inscription and was probably used for religious ceremonies or in a private home.
"It's an extraordinarily important article of Judaica because of all the Jews' journeys and difficulties that they encountered in various countries in Europe - the expulsions - there are literally only a handful of Medieval objects of Judaica left in the world," said Mintz.
The Steinhardt pieces "encompass the jewels of Jewish culture life," added Deitsch.
Once one of the most powerful men on Wall Street, Steinhardt made his fortune after launching his own hedge fund in 1967. He and his wife Judy became interested in Judaica after purchasing a group of painted tin charity containers known as tzedaka boxes in Israel.
A great supporter of Jewish causes, Steinhardt started the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, which seeks to revitalize Jewish identity through educational and cultural initiatives. He is also the co-founder of Taglit-Birthright Israel, which sends young Jews to Israel for free.